The top 10 movies at the China box office this year show how its rebound has been driven by local productions
Travis Clark
- The China box office became the biggest in the world last year, surpassing the US.
- It's thanks largely to local Chinese productions.
China is now the biggest theatrical market in the world, thanks largely to local productions.
The biggest movie at the global box office this year is the Chinese war film "The Battle at Lake Changjin," which has grossed more than $800 million — and it's only been released in China (it will soon be released in other markets, including the US).
In the US, where the theatrical industry is recovering much more slowly, big-budget are lucky to crack $200 million.
"The China market is moving away from Hollywood," said Chris Fenton, a film producer and the author of "Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, & American Business." "China doesn't need Hollywood to fill seats anymore. 'The Battle at Lake Changjin' can do that."
"F9" and "Godzilla vs. Kong" are the only two Hollywood releases in China's top 10 biggest movies this year. There were two Hollywood movies in the top 10 in 2019, too. But that was the year Marvel's "Avengers: Endgame" became China's biggest Hollywood release of all time with more than $600 million.
This year, Marvel movies have been shut out of the country by China's government amid controversy.
Aynne Kokas, a media studies professor at the University of Virginia and the author of the book "Hollywood Made in China," predicted that fewer Hollywood films would be approved for release in the future, and those that do will face stricter regulations.
Local films have been accounting for more and more of China's box office in recent years: 50% in 2016, 60% in 2018, and 85% in 2020, according to the research firm Ampere Analysis.
Hollywood pushed most of its biggest movies back to this year, but Fenton pointed out that most of those that have been released in China have underperformed.
"Jungle Cruise," which finally opened in China over the weekend, flopped with $3 million.
"And it stars The Rock, the biggest star in the world," Fenton said.
Below are the 10 highest-grossing movies at the China box office so far this year:
10. "A Writer's Odyssey"
China box office: $148.8 million
Total worldwide box office: $150.1 million
Description: A man is hired to kill a fantasy author in exchange for the return of his abducted daughter, and the author's book begins overlapping with the real world.
9. "Cliff Walkers"
China box office: $180.2 million
Total global box office: $181.3 million
Description: Chinese Communist Party special agents are put in danger while on a mission after one of their own betrays them.
8. "Godzilla vs. Kong"
China box office: $188.7 million
Total worldwide box office: $467.9 million
Description: King Kong is set on a collision course with Godzilla after being removed from the safety of his home on Skull Island.
7. "Chinese Doctors"
China box office: $197.10 million
Total worldwide box office: $197.14 million
Description: A Chinese-produced movie about doctors in Wuhan, the city in China where the disease that led to the coronavirus pandemic was first discovered.
6. "Raging Fire"
China box office: $202 million
Total worldwide box office: $205.8 million
Description: Donnie Yen plays a cop whose former protege is seeking revenge against him.
5. "F9: The Fast Saga"
China box office: $203.9 million
Total worldwide box office: $721 million
Description: Vin Diesel's Dom Toretto enlists his crew for another dangerous mission after his estranged brother resurfaces.
4. "My Country, My Parents"
China box office: $221.4 million
Total worldwide box office: $221.7 million
Description: An anthology movie that tells four stories about Chinese families. It's the third movie in a trilogy following "My People, My Country" and "My People, My Homeland."
3. "Detective Chinatown 3"
China box office: $685.1 million
Total worldwide box office: $686.3 million
Description: Two Chinatown detectives head to Tokyo to help in a murder case.
2. "Hi, Mom"
China box office: $821 million
Total worldwide box office: $822 million
Description: After her mother dies, a woman travels back in time and meets the young version of her mom.
1. "The Battle at Lake Changjin"
China box office: $874.1 million
Total worldwide box office: $874.1 million (coming to the US, UK, and other markets soon)
Description: A Chinese war film about the battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War, it's the highest-grossing film in the world this year based on just the China box office.
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